STATES ASKED TO READY CONTINGENCY
PLAN IN CASE OF DELAYED MONSOON
Union Agriculture Minister Shri
Ajit Singh today said that the Centre is in constant touch with
the State Governments and has advised them to keep in place contingency
plans for the farmers in view of the delay in monsoon in some
parts of the country. Addressing the Annual General Meeting of
the Indian council of Agricultural Research Society here, Shri
Ajit Singh said that according to the India Meteorological Department
officials, with whom he had a meeting today, a low pressure area
is building up in the Bay of Bengal and rain is expected in the
northern parts of the country by early next week. Shri Singh said
that states have been advised to make arrangements for sowing
of alternate crops where it is getting late to sow traditional
crops like Soybean & Bajra due to delay in monsoon.
The Minister emphasised
that subsidy has to be given to the farmers in order to make them
competitive in the liberalised environment. He also suggested
for the revival of the Farmer’s Forum in Parliament to effectively
safeguard the interest of the farmers. Speaking on the Minimum
Support Price (MSP) Scheme, the Minister called upon all States
& UTs to take advantage of the scheme so that their farmers
get the benefits of the scheme.
Emphasising the
need for reform in the Agriculture Sector Shri Ajit Singh said
that his Ministry is working with the Finance Ministry for the
allocation of funds to the Ministry of Agriculture which will
provide grants to the States depending on their performance in
reforming agriculture.
The Director General of Indian Council
of Agricultural Research, Dr. Punjab Singh said that several transgenics
in Cotton, Rice, Mustard, Mung Beans, Tomato and Potato with desired
attributes have been developed by the Council and are undergoing
testing.
The Union Minister of State for Agriculture,
Shri Hukum Deo Narayan Yadav, Agriculture Ministers from several
states, and Senior Scientists from the Council attended this meeting.
